Post by marcieaf on Mar 27, 2011 18:38:49 GMT -5
Dear Editor:
Change is hard for anyone, but Isla Fenway’s life quickly changes in ways she never wanted. Her father dies on the beach in Emerald Isle, North Carolina. The beach—a place that Isla always loved—becomes a place of deep heartache for Isla. Isla’s mother decides they will pick up and move to Thailand to give them a chance to heal their grieving hearts. Isla hates it there at first, and she especially hates the fact that her mother is healing faster than her. Isla does meet one friend who understands her—Graeme Ellis. Together they form a fast friendship because Graeme also lost his dad. On a school trip to Phi Phi Island, Isla and Graeme break the school rules, which gets them sent back to Bangkok. Isla’s life is shattered to pieces again when some of their classmates perish in the tsunami of 2004. Isla must find a way to live her life in the shadow of two tragedies. Among the Shattered Pieces is a 37,800 word young adult novel set in Thailand.
I grew up in Thailand and Malaysia. I currently teach elementary school and am finishing my Masters of Fine Arts in Children’s Literature at Hollins University. Among the Shattered Pieces is my thesis. In 2005 I received my Master of Arts in Children’s Literature at Hollins where I have also been a two-time recipient of the Shirley Henn Creative Writing Award given at the annual Francelia Butler conference. I am also an active member of SCBWI.
Thank you for considering Among the Shattered Pieces for publication. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Among the Shattered Pieces is a 37,800-word, 220 page young adult novel.
Fourteen-year-old Isla Fenway is reeling from losing her father. A year after his death, Isla’s mother, Laurel, decides they should move to Bangkok, Thailand. Isla is haunted by the memories of her dad in Emerald Isle, North Carolina, but it is the only place she has lived. She hasn’t been able to go down to the beach since finding her father’s body there.
Laurel lived in Bangkok right out of college. It holds good memories for her, something she is desperately searching for. Isla becomes fast friends with Graeme Ellis, the son of Laurel’s old friend, Moree.
Isla’s mother doesn’t want to let her out of sight, but Isla insists on going on a class trip to Phi Phi Island in the south of Thailand. While Isla struggles with her grief in a totally foreign place, she watches her mother begin to move out of her darkest grief and spend more time with a man from her past.
Isla goes to Phi Phi Island to show her mother she can be independent, and to confront her fear of the ocean. She takes a walk on the beach at Phi Phi Island with Graeme alone, something that is forbidden by the rules of the trip. When they return to the resort, their teacher sends them back home to Bangkok.
The next morning, Phi Phi Island is devastated by the tsunami of 2004. Graeme and Isla are in their apartments in Bangkok when the news hits. Isla must deal with her emotions again in the face of the tragedy. Now she is compelled to help others.
Change is hard for anyone, but Isla Fenway’s life quickly changes in ways she never wanted. Her father dies on the beach in Emerald Isle, North Carolina. The beach—a place that Isla always loved—becomes a place of deep heartache for Isla. Isla’s mother decides they will pick up and move to Thailand to give them a chance to heal their grieving hearts. Isla hates it there at first, and she especially hates the fact that her mother is healing faster than her. Isla does meet one friend who understands her—Graeme Ellis. Together they form a fast friendship because Graeme also lost his dad. On a school trip to Phi Phi Island, Isla and Graeme break the school rules, which gets them sent back to Bangkok. Isla’s life is shattered to pieces again when some of their classmates perish in the tsunami of 2004. Isla must find a way to live her life in the shadow of two tragedies. Among the Shattered Pieces is a 37,800 word young adult novel set in Thailand.
I grew up in Thailand and Malaysia. I currently teach elementary school and am finishing my Masters of Fine Arts in Children’s Literature at Hollins University. Among the Shattered Pieces is my thesis. In 2005 I received my Master of Arts in Children’s Literature at Hollins where I have also been a two-time recipient of the Shirley Henn Creative Writing Award given at the annual Francelia Butler conference. I am also an active member of SCBWI.
Thank you for considering Among the Shattered Pieces for publication. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Among the Shattered Pieces Synopsis
Among the Shattered Pieces is a 37,800-word, 220 page young adult novel.
Fourteen-year-old Isla Fenway is reeling from losing her father. A year after his death, Isla’s mother, Laurel, decides they should move to Bangkok, Thailand. Isla is haunted by the memories of her dad in Emerald Isle, North Carolina, but it is the only place she has lived. She hasn’t been able to go down to the beach since finding her father’s body there.
Laurel lived in Bangkok right out of college. It holds good memories for her, something she is desperately searching for. Isla becomes fast friends with Graeme Ellis, the son of Laurel’s old friend, Moree.
Isla’s mother doesn’t want to let her out of sight, but Isla insists on going on a class trip to Phi Phi Island in the south of Thailand. While Isla struggles with her grief in a totally foreign place, she watches her mother begin to move out of her darkest grief and spend more time with a man from her past.
Isla goes to Phi Phi Island to show her mother she can be independent, and to confront her fear of the ocean. She takes a walk on the beach at Phi Phi Island with Graeme alone, something that is forbidden by the rules of the trip. When they return to the resort, their teacher sends them back home to Bangkok.
The next morning, Phi Phi Island is devastated by the tsunami of 2004. Graeme and Isla are in their apartments in Bangkok when the news hits. Isla must deal with her emotions again in the face of the tragedy. Now she is compelled to help others.